


Give Yourself a Chance

by Spaceytrash



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Confessions, Episode Related, First Kiss, James Wilson Loves Greg House, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:26:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spaceytrash/pseuds/Spaceytrash
Summary: “Oh Wilson…,” she whispered, letting her hand slide softly over his jaw, the stubble of the day slightly scratching her hand.During their talk in Cuddy's office in "The Itch" a secret of Wilson gets revealed. Will he take Cuddy's advice and take a chance?
Relationships: Greg House/James Wilson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 162





	Give Yourself a Chance

**Author's Note:**

> I was trying to write something to get my mind of the current affairs of the world, but I lost my motivation a lot, so this took me ages to write but at least I finished something again. 
> 
> The first few lines are of course taken from the epsiode S05E07 "The Itch"

_ “Or maybe it would be better if we just… had sex” _

_ “Pardon me?” _

_ “In front of House’s office. I mean, I don’t want to take any chances. I assume the point of this is to make him jealous and make him realize that he does want a relationship with me?” _

_ “Yes. You think it’ll work?” _

_ “You’re an idiot. Trust me. Everybody will be happier if House and I aren’t dating” _

__

Wilson turned away for a second before looking at Cuddy again, “That’s not true. House wouldn’t. You wouldn’t”

She sighed, “I don’t want to date him and that’s the end of it” She looked at him more closer, noticing that he was tense and even kind of nervous, “Why are you even so interested in getting us together anyway? 

He glanced away, feeling very much trapped and not knowing how to get out of it. “I just want him o be happy…”

If he was honest with himself, he didn’t want them together at all, but he does want House to be happy, no matter what it would cost. His friend deserved it after years of misery and if it was with Cuddy so be it. The way he was clearly hung up about her, going so far as to have a maybe imaginative itching, showed him that the only way was pushing them together, despite what he himself thought about it.

Apparently, something of his apprehension showed on his face, because Cuddy’s face softened, and she took a few steps closer to him.

“Oh Wilson…,” she whispered, letting her hand slide softly over his jaw, the stubble of the day slightly scratching her hand.

His face was sad and painful to look at. Hope, fear and embarrassment skirting over his face, plainly visible. The longing he felt clear for everyone to see.

“How long…?”

His eye jerked minimally, and he turned his head, not ready to see Cuddy’s reaction. Not ready to have his deepest secret out in the air. Her hand sliding from his face during the motion.

“A few weeks… known for longer, I think… just didn’t want to admit it to myself”

“…and Amber?”

“House was right, she was kind of a proxy for him. I love… loved her but it’s… over and with House it’s…” Wilson gulped, silent for a minute trying to think of a way to explain it, “… it’s just so much stronger”

He looked at her again, unshed tears of frustration, fear and desperation as clear as anything in his eyes. It broke Cuddy’s heart to see him, one of her friends, like this. Like being in love with House was physically causing him pain and she wouldn’t put it past the actual possibility. Her own experience probably making her understand it better than most.

She wanted to hug him, help him ease the tension and pain, but she knew it wouldn’t be welcome. If she did that he would flee, run away from his problems and bury them once more like he usually did.

“But if you feel like that, why are you trying so hard to get me and him together?”

Wilson looked down, staring at his own shoes. This wasn’t where he had wanted this conversation to go. Somehow it had gone off the rails and he now had aired his deepest secret to Cuddy, when all he had wanted was help House like usual.

“Like I said, I want him to be happy. I think with you he can.”

The words hurt, but he knew they were true. As much has he dreamed and wished for it to be different, for the person that could make his friend happy to be himself, no matter if just friendship or preferably more, it wasn’t the case. House wasn’t interested in him that way and while it hurt, it was okay. He couldn’t control his feelings just as little as Wilson could control his.

“And you can’t…”

He just shook his head, his voice quiet and solemn, “he isn’t… you know. It’s okay. I resigned myself to that. But I want him to be happy, no matter how”

Cuddy was silent for a while, debating on how to continue the conversation. She had no clue how House felt about Wilson beyond deep friendship, but she knew that House was, well bisexual would be the right word she guessed, at least back in the day in Michigan. At least that was what the rumour mill had told her. Not that it had been any of her business really. Now she wasn’t sure if that was just the usual experimenting in college or if he still was that way inclined. You never knew with House and she didn’t want to give Wilson false hope. And even if he was, it was no guarantee that he felt something for him. Although she had wondered far too often if it wasn’t the case.

Slowly Cuddy reached out for Wilson, putting a hand softly yon his shoulder and squeezing it slightly. “Have you told him?”

Wilson looked up at her in shock and panic, shaking his head quickly, “No, and I don’t plan to”

“Then how can you be sure he isn’t?”

“I just do. He never hinted that something like that is even remotely possible”

“He flirts with you constantly,” she offers softly.

“But that’s just House. He flirts with whoever he can. It means nothing…”

“But not like he does with you”

He looked at her affronted and confused, like he wasn’t sure what she was trying to say and achieve and wasn’t happy about it.

Her hand on his arm stroked it a bit slowly, trying to calm him down again, “I’m just trying to say that you don’t know. Not for sure. Not until you tell him”

“And have him laugh in my face? And our friendship destroyed beyond repair? No thanks,” he scoffed, stepping back slightly, making her let go off his arm, “You cannot tell him! He can’t know. I don’t want to loose him, please”

The look of pure fear and loss in Wilson’s eyes made her back away a bit too. Holding her hands up in a motion of silent defeat she tries again, “I won’t, I promise. It’s none of my business really, but believe me, and I don’t want to give you any false promises, but I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think there wasn’t at least a possibility he reciprocates your feelings”

Once again Wilson looked down, his shoes more interesting than the other person. How could Cuddy be so sure he even had a slight chance? Did she know something he didn’t? Was that small possibility worth the potential big risk of losing the best thing he had in his life, next to his job?

“Just think about it. It might turn out okay and you both get happy,” the soft voice of Cuddy interrupted his musings.

He still didn’t look up at her, but nodded, feeling like he was dismissed, which served him right. He didn’t really want to talk about this anymore, he just wanted to get home, grab a beer or five and forget about this whole ordeal.

Slowly he turned around and left the office. Cuddy was looking him go, worry for her friend overwhelming her senses. She hoped he would take her advice and that everything would work out. Yes, she still had a bit of a crush on House, but she also knew that they wouldn’t work. Wilson and House on the other hands would, she was sure.

A slight shudder overcame her though when she thought about the things they could get up to together. If this goes well, she needed to have a big talk with them about office sex policies.

Wilson had been nursing his second beer of the evening, his mind still replaying the whole fiasco in Cuddy’s office again and again, when he heard his doorbell ring. At first, he was trying to ignore it, but when it ringed a few more times he heaved himself up from his position on his sofa and opened the door. When he saw who was in front of him his face fell. Of course, it would be the person that was the reason for his bad mood. Speak of the devil and he may appear and all that.

Still ever the nice host and friend, he stepped aside to let his friend in.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home, or better yet at Cuddy’s trying to woo her?”

House went on to the living room, grabbed the half full bottle of Wilson’s beer, like it belonged to him, and took a sip before looking at Wilson with an annoyed look in his eye.

“I’m not interested in Cuddy; I’m more interested about killing the damn mosquito in my apartment. Also, who sincerely uses ‘woo’ anymore? What are you, a regency man in a romance novel?”

Wilson scoffed and pulled his beer from House’s grasp, “I’m not in the mood House”

“What’s the matter? One of you bald kids kick the bucket?”

“I’m just not. Just go home and let me go to sleep,” he sighed, trying to shoo his friend back to the door. The presence of House in his vicinity painful after having his feelings exposed and examined this afternoon against his will. He was raw and on edge and really not in the mood for one of House’s games, “or go see Cuddy, tell her how you feel and have a nice evening”

House was just watching him for a minute and Wilson felt like he was staring at his soul. Like he could figure out exactly what is problem was and it made him nervous. His free hand moved towards his neck, kneading the muscles, in his usual nervous habit.

“Why are you so desperate to bring me and Cuddy together? It’s almost like you’re overcompensating for something,” House mused, still watching his friend closely, like he was his brand new interesting puzzle. Which in a way he was. Wilson was acting weird, well weirder than usual, and he wanted to know why.

“You’re ridiculous. Just go home House,” Wilson muttered, but something must have betrayed him in his voice or expression because he could see House’s face light up, like he found out a vital information for his case.

“You are!” House pointed at him, his finger waggling slightly in a caught in the act way, “What? You really wanted Cuddy first and now you’re pissed she’s into me? You already had your chance last year”

Wilson scoffed, not wanting to enable House’s musings, so he just took a sip of is beer and didn’t say anything. This was getting into a dangerous territory and he needed to deflect soon, or House would find out what was really going on and he couldn’t risk that, no matter what Cuddy had said.

“Sorry to disappoint but you can’t bang her, she’s mine,” House teased, jokingly.

“I’m not interested in her, she is yours to have. Now go”

“Then why are you overcompensating so much?”

All Wilson could do was look away. He knew House, so he knew to what conclusion he was drawing in his head, and he wasn’t ready to face it, no matter how right it was. House wouldn’t leave and ignore it he was sure, but he didn’t need to see the disappointment and anger in the other’s eyes when he would say their friendship is over.

“Oh… are you interested in  _ me _ ?” House’s voice was surprisingly careful, before turning colder, “Well if only you had flashed your eyes before…”

Wilson flinched slightly. It was a mocking call back to what he had said to House a year ago when he thought he was jealous about Amber. Really it hurt to hear, and a wave of guilt washed through him for having caused him even a bit of the hurt he felt now.

Uncomfortable silence filled the room, the only sound was their breathing. Neither of them as moving an inch, the mocking words and the unconfirmed confession hanging in the air.

“Well, are you?” House’s rough voice finally interrupted the silence.

The question made Wilson flinch again, still not lifting his head in fear of the other’s expression. His throat was closing up and he felt panic rise in him. This was the moment. This was when everything would go to shit. The moment the best thing in his life went up in flames and it was all his fault.

“Answer me”

Wilson couldn’t and didn’t want to answer. He didn’t want to confirm it and destroy everything. But despite his fear he felt his head nod slightly. Something in him risking it for the slight chance Cuddy made him hope for.

That’s when suddenly a laugh disrupted the heavy air.

“Wilson you’re an idiot”

“What?!” he said shocked, looking at his friend, well if he could still call him that.

House had stopped laughing and was shaking his head in disbelieve, “How long have you been carrying this around?”

Wilson glanced away again, his voice thin when he answered, “For a few weeks. Known for longer, just ignored it”

“You really are an idiot. …Wilson look at me”

House’s voice was commandeering, and he couldn’t help himself but follow his command. What he saw shocked him but also filled a tiny part of his heart with hope.

House was grinning, his expression full of mirth but also something else, if Wilson would harbour a guess, he would say affection. But that couldn’t be, could it?

“I knew you weren’t that introspective, but I didn’t think it would take you this long to admit it”

“What?” He could only mirror his words from just minutes ago, not understanding what was going on. The conversation having taken a turn he hadn’t expected.

“I’ve been waiting for you to finally reach to that conclusion. Of course, you want me, you spent every free hour you can get with me. You basically gave up your marriages for me”

“House,” Wilson warned. The situation was bad enough, he didn’t need nor deserved to be mocked like this.

“Unlike me who doesn’t let you spend his time with him or doesn’t try to actually break up your marriages”

Wilson stared at him in shock. He couldn’t be saying what he thought he was saying. He wasn’t actually suggesting that he felt the same, was he?

“What?!”

“Can you stop that? It’s getting a bit repetitive”

He shook his head for a second to formulate a clear thought, “House, what exactly are you saying?” Despite his doubts Wilson felt hope blossom in his chest.

“I’m saying I’m feeling the same, you idiot”

“But… but what about Cuddy?”

“Yeah what about Cuddy? Oh, you mean the kiss. That was nothing. She was feeling vulnerable and I was feeling surprisingly charitable. It didn’t mean anything. Can we kiss now, or are you going to say ‘what’ again?”

Wilson didn’t need any more words. He moved towards House, his arms folding around him and his lips finally met the other’s. They were slightly chapped and rough and nothing like he had imagined. This was far better than any daydream.

He felt the other’s hands slide into and through his hair, but couldn’t pay them much more attention when a warm, wet tongue slid along his lips begging for entrance, which he immediately gave. They explored their mouths, their tongues brushing together along the way.

After a short while they parted again, both breathless from the kiss.

“You’re an ass,” Wilson panted.

“But you love me for it”

“Yeah,” he whispered before kissing the other again.


End file.
